Friday, April 26, 2013

What does that make
you think of? A place where you feel safe, secure, and know you can always go
to and be happy. Most people hate to move. You have to pack all your stuff up
and either rent a truck, or hire movers, or con your friends into helping you
for a six pack and a pizza. It sucks, no two ways around it, and no one wants
to do it in Eve either. There are many places in Eve that you can find yourself
constantly moving your stuff, and I'm not talking about working out of a home
system and moving some of your stuff to a staging system to be closer to combat
operations. I am talking about being in a corporation or alliance that is
constantly on the move with no place to really call your home. People will end
up creating their own home in some station that they feel is beneficial to them,
not your corporation or alliance. You really can't blame them everyone needs a
place to live even in Eve.

There are some corporations,
and alliances that have made it work for them and their members and that’s
fine. I am not that kind of person, so this is for those of you that are like
me and want a little stability in your Eve universe life. It has been written
that if you can provide three basic needs to a person then there moral and happiness
will be better off for it. Shelter, food, and clothing are these staples, but
in Eve it’s different. Food is non existent, and clothing for most of us is as
well. Shelter though in Eve terms is there, and needed if only for a place to
keep my stuff.

Stations are our
shelter, be it in high sec, low sec, wormholes or 0.0 we need a place to keep
our stuff. How many of us pull up our assets screen and it’s a mile long? Hands
anyone? There are only a few stations that truly hold what is most important to
us, the rest is just space junk for some of us. When you join a corporation or
alliance they will tell you they are based out of some station somewhere in
Eve, so we as good little pilots start our trek to the HOME system, and
station. This is now going to be our home where we will live, and socialize
with our merry band of brothers until death, rebirth and death do us part.

Corporations usually
run out of one system. I say usually because there are different types of
corporations in Eve and this statement is and will be modified by someone. I
can tell you that when I started I lived in Jakenerva almost extensively for
more then six months. Mining, ratting, planetary interaction, what have you was
always done there, except for jumping a system to ice mine. It was and is a
good system, and it was my home for awhile. When your corporation decides to
move forward you begin to realize that you have to move forward as well. Depending
on what the goals of your corporation are, or you join an alliance and may have
to move to a lower security system or wormhole space to continue to be a part
of it. Where ever you end up, you want to feel somewhat stable, you want to
know your going to be there for a little while. Constant moving is a drain on resources,
logistics, and time better spent play the game. Understanding that if you PvP
at all you will still have staging systems, and fleet deployments that you must
attend. There isn’t really a problem with moving some combat ships into the
area of operations, as long as you know you have a home somewhere to go back
to, work out of, and generate some kind of income no matter how small.

Welcome to the jungle

I also want to know
that there is someone watching over my home, and providing security for it. Enter
the home defense fleet that rag tag group of guys that make sure the system we
call home stays that way. Who are these people? Look in the mirror, because if
you live there you're one of them. Yes you, being a part of a corporation or an
alliance means there are no free rides. You wanted to be part of something
bigger, congratulations you are, and you are now part of defending it.

Home defense fleets differ depending on the
corporation, alliance, and the system or systems that need protection.
Corporations that field a home defense fleet are usually protecting their
assets, and not really the system. Depending on the size of the corporation it
could effectively protect a whole system, but usually other corporations would
band together to do this.

Alliances are a
different story. Depending on the size of the alliance, you could have several
corporations tasked with defending a system from your enemies. Alliances would
be more structured in how this is done. Alliances would select corporations
that will work together to defend one or more systems, and to be the early
warning system to put out a call to a bigger fleet to assist. Generally it’s a
good practice to have these fleets up and active at all times, to make sure
everyone involved is on a communication channel, and to have a special chat
channel for that home defense fleet running.

Making the CEO’s and
directors “fleet leaders” should ensure that those responsible make these
things happen, and to adhere to whatever the policy or current orders from the
alliance leadership are in place. If your little piece of space heaven is safe,
there could be a rule in effect that says go and check the surrounding systems.
I personally wouldn't go more than one or two jumps from your assigned system. Corporations
that are not actively on communication channels, chat channels or in fleet
should be looked at to see if there’s a problem, and what can be done to fix
it.

The bonus to doing
something like this is over time you will start to see potential fleet
commanders come from these positions. Using this method you can move these “potential
commanders” up and into larger fleets, and have someone else step into their
old position. This allows the process to begin again, and the new fleet leaders
of home defense forces become the new candidates for fleet commanders in time.

Home is important, it is yours, and everyone elses in your
corporation or alliance. Treat it well, take care of it, and be proud of it.
Moral is based on pride, trust, knowledge, and the successes that come out of
work as a team.

When setting up
industrial operations there are a few things that you must consider. Where am I
running these operations, and what do I have to work with? These two questions
will determine what your next steps will be.

High Security Space

In High sec there isn’t
much to worry about, and the biggest question will be what you have to work
with. In my opinion the minimum mining fleet will consist of a command ship and
two to three mining barges. This will allow for boosts the fleet, and a large
ore bay from the command ship, however this is not optimal since the orca would
have to make trips back to the station to unload and the fleet would lose it’s
boosts during this time. Adding a hauler to this fleet would mean that the boosts
stay on the field and the hauler could make the trips to unload making the
fleet more efficient. Anything you add to this fleet would just make it more of
a beast, as with the current set up you could chew through a belt in less than
an hour.

Low Security Space

In Low sec things
start to change, and not for the better. Industrial operations in low sec can
be very dangerous, and become a bit more expensive to run. In low security you
will have a large number of pirate corporations just itching to add to their
kill mails with the loss of your fat and non combat ships. Any corporation in
low sec that are thinking of mining out there needs to supplement you mining
fleet with a security force of combat pilots to protect it. I would also
suggest that any mining operations stay as streamlined and compact as possible
limiting the amount of targets you present to someone. Using ventures in this
situation is a great idea as they are fast and already come with built in warp
stabs for a quick get away. In low sec I would also make sure that when entering
a belt make sure all your ships are aligned to either a station or a safe to ensure
the fasted warp out possible. Operations need to run as quickly and effectively
as possible, get what you need and get out.

0.0

Believe it or not, depending
on the situation and safety of the system you are working in out in 0.0, it’s almost
as safe as high sec. A mixture of both High, and low sec strategies apply here.
Using the fleet composition described for high sec will work with a few exceptions.
Using a Rorqual boosting off grid safe in a POS will give you great bonuses, especially
if you have it in industrial mode, and your skills are high enough. Add the orca
for hauling and either a bunch of ventures, or for their massive hp’s and ore holds,
mackinaws. Make sure that you are following the same procedures as in low sec,
by aligning to a station, pos, or a safe for quick warp outs if trouble shows
up. Make sure you watch local, you will see them when they jump into system,
don’t wait warp as soon as you do.

Conclusion

Mining can be a lucrative
isk generator. Ore
and minerals sell well on the market and can infuse your corporation with much
needed isk. If you have the players with the right skills in your corporation
production can also be done, but make sure at least one active player has
perfect refining to get the most out of the ore you mine.

The opinions and
ideas I have laid out are for a small to medium sized Corporation. If your
corporation is large enough I would suggest that you keep your mining fleets to
a manageable size and split them up between belts. This not only helps to not
draw attention to yourself since large fleets are a target only because of the
pack mentality of your enemy since they will attempt to scatter you and pick
off the person that didn't warp fast enough or was sleeping / AFK.

In Part two, I
will attempt to explain the benefits to conducting mining fleet operations and
how the proceeds could be used and distributed to your members. Alliances as
well as corporations will be included in my ideas for discussion.

"Knowledge is Power"

This saying alone says it all. The more you know, the better you can deal with whatever comes along. It is much more than that in the world of Eve. Game or not Eve is driven by players, and most content is player created and can affect a great number of players. A good example of this is Burn Jita, and when the Ice interdiction was going on. Any corporation, or alliance learns this early on if they have any hope of surviving and reaching any far reaching goals they have set out for themselves. The more you know about what you're doing the better you can perform the tasks at hand. This goes for any aspect of Eve. If you want to scan down sites and do complexes, then you better have the skills and knowledge of what you are looking for, and how to find it. In Eve time is isk. Industrial corporations, and alliances need to learn how to get the most from their time in the belts, the best way to get the most from their refining, and the cheapest way to build the ships and modules that will make them money. Being inefficient can cost you isk that would be better spent on your members, and the needed goods the Corporation requires to continue in the black. Learning what skills are needed, what implants work best, and how many people are required to make the best of any operation is imperative. Military corporations, and alliances have similar needs, but are also more diverse in the information needed in order to complete its given role, or task. Starting at the bottom it needs combat pilots, they don't have to be good, but their knowledge of ship types, and roles is important. you can tell anyone what ships to fly, but they need to be taught why, and sometimes how to do it. It is a fact of life that not everyone is great at something when they first start out, and learning / teaching them the right things to do must be done. Dismissing someone because they can't solo PvP right away is throwing away a potential ace pilot because you couldn't be bothered with them. Eve is a harsh game with a sharp learning curve, those that keep trying are the ones you want to take under your wing and teach them what, why, and how to succeed since they already have the will and heart to want to continue in the Eve universe. Starting potential fleet commanders out in leading home defense fleets is a good idea, teaching them the leadership, and highly structured skills of fleet command with small steps, and building on that so "some" may someday take the reigns of large fleets within your corporation, or alliance and lead them to massive victories. Understanding that military operations are not always jamming a square peg into a round hole, but a concerted effort between a large number of people. Intelligence gained prior to any campaign, logistics moved prior to an operation, and operation security is all needed to lead a campaign to victory. "Work smarter, not harder" are words to live by in warfare in Eve. Learning and using strategy and tactics to confuse, and misdirect the enemy is essential to winning the war, and not just one battle. Understand what you can do with black ops, the psychological impact it can have on an enemy, and the ability to jump a black ops fleet in that can't be found is immeasurable in a campaign. Training can not be understated. When not in a war or running a major campaign, take a fleet out and get them used to your voice and mannerisms as a fleet commander. Anything you can do to get you pilots comfortable will be useful when the heat is turned up and you are fighting for your life and an important battle later on. In the end the more prepared you are, the more you know about Eve, the more you learn about how things work, and the more you put into your preparation before you rush into a war, battle, or operation the better the outcome will be.

1.First I apply my Corporation to this Alliance. They get back to me with in a 3 day period, and we go into their communications channel for the interview. At least 2 of the 3 head leaders are there and we talk about the whys, and what could be. They ask what we have to offer, and they tell me what they have to offer my corporation. The atmosphere is light, yet both sides understand that this is serious internet spaceships that we’re talking about. The issue of security comes up, and the need for my full API key, for my toons, and my corporation is needed to continue to the next level. I supply my full API Key and set it to expire in 48 hours, which is agreed upon by both sides as enough time to check it out.

2.After two days I hear back from the Alliance that they are excited about taking us on, and that they can see great things from our corporation being a part of their Alliance. Our application is accepted and we are now part of a bigger brotherhood, and a larger part of the game. Our corporation at this point feels that we can make a real difference in Eve now.

3.Once we are in the Alliance, I receive several eve mails from the leadership explaining all the things I need to know to be an integral part of our new alliance. From the Alliance Leader I receive information as to the structure of the Alliance leadership, and who I would go to for certain information. A list of mailing lists broken down into specific departments that are either mandatory to join, like the CEO mailing list, or some of the others, like industry or logistics. It lists any mandatory meetings and when they are, and the time to be there for them. The mail continues on to explain the SRP Program, and any other Alliance programs that benefit all the corporations, as well as programs that are set up to help the Alliance generate isk, and how we can be a part of them. The Mail finishes with a note from the Alliance Diplomats, and Recruiters as to the knowledge of any other corporations that may be a good fit for the Alliance, are that we as a corporation have good standing with. This information could be used to help build up the Alliance, or garner favor with other corporations and Alliances.4. I then receive a mail from the Industrial arm of the alliance explaining what their all about, and given a link to survey monkey to fill out a quick survey to give the alliance a good idea of what my corporations capabilities are. We are also told that the alliance has alliance wide contracts up for fully fitted doctrine ships to buy, as well as contracts that we as a corporation can fill to help the alliance bolster it's goods and materials. The industrial Leader's mail goes on to let us know what the alliance has for current operations, and how to join them, and when they are.5. The last mail we receive is from the Military Commander of the Alliance. This letter contains all the information needed to join fleets, and are directed to fleet.com to see the alliance doctrines and current operations. We are also assigned a system for home defense, that we, along with other corporations in the alliance are responsible for protecting. There are many opertunities in the military arm that we as a corporation will be able to take advantage of. With all this information we are ready to become a productive part of this new alliance. Knowing that the alliance is set up and structured in a way to handle anything that comes its way makes me feel comfortable that the alliance will last. This doesn't always happen, and you will see some of these things in any alliance you join. This highly structured system is dependent on the people running the Alliance, and their need to make sure that not only is the alliance is taken care of, but also that of the corporation within the Alliance. Corporations are the backbone of any alliance, without them you have nothing. Knowing this, and working with and for the CEO's of the Alliance will ensure the staying power, and growth of any alliance. I probably could add more, and get more involved in what I have written, but I want to keep it short. I will post more on this topic in future posts.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

An Eve online Alliance is a group of
Corporations with like minded vision and Focus that has banded together for
common goals. The leader(s) of the Alliance must
ensure that a solid and effective structure is in place to allow for ease of
implementation, and to allow for all the Corporations within the Alliance to understand
what is and is not required of them within this structure. I have been in
several alliances, and our Corporation has left everyone on them on good terms.
The following design of the structure of an Alliance is my opinion, and
designed to be an effective operating system that will take into account as
much of the Eve Universe, Corporations, and Mechanics as I possibly can.

Alliance
Structure designed from the Top Down.

The Triad.

The Triad is designed
to make sure that any one man trying to lead an alliance does not get burned
out, and therefore become ineffective in running, and leading an Alliance.
Compartmentalizing the common duties into sections that are manageable is a
necessity that can not be overlooked. By dividing up the Work needed to run an
effective Alliance, and putting the right people
in place to play to their strengths will only aid in the ability of the Alliance to run smooth,
effective, and efficiently throughout its life in Eve.

The Triad is made up
of the three key people in the Alliance:

The Alliance Leader

The
Industrial Leader

The
Military Commander

Alliance Leader:

The Alliance Leader
is the person that will oversee the total running of the Alliance, making sure that the other leaders
are focused, and goal driven towards that of the alliance, and its
corporations. Decisions that are posed to the leadership that can be looked at,
and voted on will be discussed in meetings of the three leaders. The is a lot
of fluidity in Eve, and because of that, there will be decisions that need to
be made on the spot, and depending on the area these decisions need to be made
in, the other leaders must be able to make good, and intelligent decisions
since they will be effecting all of the Alliance and its corporations.

The Alliance leader will also have several “subordinates”
if you will. These people will be given certain jobs that will enhance the
Leaders abilities to lead the Alliance.
Tasked with jobs that fall directly under the Alliance Leaders supervision, and
reporting to him when needed or necessary.

These Jobs /
Positions would be.

1.Co-Leader – Preferably someone in the opposite time zone.
This person would be tasked with the operation of the Alliance while the main leader is offline or
away.

2. Alliance Financial Manager
– Tasked with generating Isk for the Alliance to
allow SRP, and Alliance
operations, and campaigns. This could consist of working with the Industry
leader for manufacturing goods, and ships for an upcoming military campaign, or
Working with the Military commander to secure player owned customs offices, or
strategic placements of Alliance
player owned stations. Whichever it is, it will be proposed and voted on by the
Triad Leadership.

3. Corporation Recruiters – Tasked with finding good, and
active corporations with in the scope of the Alliances goals, and vision.
Expressing quality over quantity and looking for not only what we have to offer
the corporation, but what they can offer us in return. The recruiters will be
responsible for security checks, and backgrounds of all proposed candidates.

4. Alliance
Diplomats – (Part of the overall Diplomatic core which will include diplomats
from the industrial and military divisions. These diplomats will combine to
make up the core diplomatic team for the alliance.) Alliance Diplomats will use
their knowledge of the goals and visions of the alliance (High-sec, Low-sec,
Faction Warfare, and 0.0) to reach out to like minded Alliance’s and
Corporations to garner support, and possibly joint operations within their
scope of duties. Alliance Diplomats would be working towards non-aggression
pacts, co-existing pacts, and current war declaration negotiations.

Industrial Leader:

The Industrial Leader
is the person that would oversee all industrial matters of the Alliance. Keeping in mind that most
corporations have their own agenda in these matters, and knowing what each
corporation can offer industry wise, is imperative. If your Alliance is in a war, or does a lot of PvP,
then knowing that most combat pilots expend large amounts of Isk to maintain
ships, and being able to resupply these pilots is important. You as the
industry leader must find the best way to appropriate these goods, and get them
to the front lines. You must be able to work with the Military commander, and Alliance leader, and have
an effective line of communications.

The Industrial leader
will have several “subordinates” to help with the daily industrial activities
of the Alliance.

1.Co-Industrial Leader – Preferably someone in the opposite
time zone. This person would be tasked with the operation of the Industry while
the main leader is offline or away.

2. Data Manager – This person will compile necessary data on
current and new corporations. This data will consist of information as to their
level of manufacturing ability, any POS’s in the area, and logistic ability.
This information will be provided to the industrial leader to help with making
decisions on procurement, and movement of goods. You may want to use a free
program that will help in gathering this information. Survey monkey offers a
free service that allows you to design and distribute surveys that could be
used to gather information needed from the corporations.

3. Contract Manager – This Person would take the input of
the industrial leader and post Alliance
wide contracts for the procurement of goods, and also the selling of goods to
bolster the alliance wallet.

4. Logistics Manager – This person would be in charge of
setting up and providing security for large shipments into or out of the
alliances area of operation. They may have to work with the military commander
to secure security for these operations.

5. Industrial Diplomats - (Part of the overall Diplomatic
core which will include diplomats from the industrial and military divisions.
These diplomats will combine to make up the core diplomatic team for the
alliance.) Industrial Diplomats will use their knowledge of the goals and
visions of the alliance (High-sec, Low-sec, Faction Warfare, and 0.0) to reach
out to like minded Alliance’s and Corporations to garner support, and possibly
joint operations within their scope of duties. Industrial Diplomats would be
working towards possibly securing goods, ships, or materials if it’s not
possible for alliance corporations to supply them.

Military Commander:

The Military
Commander is the person that will oversee all aspects of military operations.
Responsible for home, system, constellation defense, and mounting authorized
alliance campaigns. Knowledge of current political situations, as well as,
ensuring that the Alliance
is projected in a good light is necessary. Knowing what the Alliances force
projections are and what its capability is at all times. Being able to work
with the Industrial Leader and Alliance Leader to achieve goals of a wide
variety is necessary.

The Military
commander will have several “subordinates” to help with the daily military activities
of the Alliance.

1. Co-Military Commander – Preferably someone in the
opposite time zone. This person would be tasked with the operation of the
Military while the main Commander is offline or away.

2. Fleet Commander(s) – Head of all authorized alliance
fleets, and their deployment. Campaigns and operations that have been signed
off by all High command Leadership will fall into this category. These
Deployments will be handed to a single Fleet Commander to carry out with the
aid and instruction of the Military Commander. All times, and area’s of
operations will be on a need to know basis to anyone below this rank.

The possibility of
using Fleet-up.com to set up campaigns, and deployments should be looked at,
and used.

3. Home Defense Fleets – These will be assigned to
corporations based on size and composition. The Corporations will be tasked
with defending systems under the control of the alliance. All home defense
fleets will be required to fleet up with the system(s) name and be in fleet and
on comms at all times. CEO’s or Directors should be making these fleets.

4. Fleet Training Division – This person would set up, and
run a training division for new and up coming fleet commanders. Could also set
up training exercises for new combat pilots to learn how to properly act and
move in fleet situations.

5. Military Diplomats - (Part of the overall Diplomatic core
which will include diplomats from the industrial and military divisions. These
diplomats will combine to make up the core diplomatic team for the alliance.) Military
Diplomats will use their knowledge of the goals and visions of the alliance
(High-sec, Low-sec, Faction Warfare, and 0.0) to reach out to like minded
Alliance’s and Corporations to garner support, and possibly joint operations
within their scope of duties. Military Diplomats would be working towards
possibly securing coalitions, joint operations, and fleet support for the
alliance.

Intelligence Division:

This division is used
by all three leaders for a multitude of situations. The intelligence division
is an all volunteer Division, and should be kept secret to all but the
participants, and the Triad of leaders. All information of this division should
be kept on a need to know basis, distributed wisely, and in a timely manner.

This division can be
used for tasks needed by the alliance, such as, information gathering, enemy
troop movements, and force composition. There is a wide array of possibilities
for this division.

Diplomatic Core:

This is the total of
all Diplomats in the Alliance.
Their combined knowledge, and information should be presented to all three
leaders when there is a new or breaking development that could possibility
effect the Alliance.

Corporation CEO’s & Directors:

All CEO’s or
Directors should be kept in the loop of all important information. This would
include their assigned area of operation, any tasks requested of them by any of
the three leaders and the ultimate goal / timeline of these tasks. The Alliance is only as strong
as its weakest Corporation, and those that can’t complete an assigned task or
goal should be issued a warning.

Mailing lists, Chat Channels, Website:

In order to create an
effective flow of information, there should be a quick and easy way to move
information up to the leaders of the alliance. Most of these avenues are self
explanatory, and work well when maintained and used. The use of mailing lists
that are separated and specific to a certain division, task or job work well.

Meetings:

There should be a set
system for meetings, and a structure to how they are implemented. On a monthly
basis there should be three meetings held, and in a specific order.

1. Meeting of all Leaders with their subordinates to compile
needed information, and suggestions as to the goals and focus for the next
month. Find out what is needed, where it’s needed, and come up with a plan of
action to be discussed in the next meeting.

2. Meeting of the Triad of Leaders to discuss what has
transpired from the last meeting, what went right, and what went wrong. Decide
if you are still on schedule for the plans made from the last meeting. Discuss
what has changed, and if the plans made should be altered. Discuss all new
information and what if anything needs to be done. Discuss any timelines that
need to be changed or altered with the addition of new information. Set up new
deployments, or operations that will be done between now and the next meeting.
Discuss the Corporations, and any need to issue warnings, promotions of any
individuals, or if any tasks need to be assigned.

3. Meeting of the Triad of Leaders and the CEO’s of all
Corporations. This Meeting should open with the state of the Alliance since the last meeting. Move to what
was found to be working and what needs to be fixed, changed, or moved. The
CEO’s are the backbone of the Alliance
and the more they feel in the loop and a part of the bigger picture will only
serve to build loyalty, and bolster moral. Even in discussing failures, look
for the silver lining and push to focus on what needs to be done, when it needs
to be done, and how as an Alliance
it will be done.

There shouldn’t be a
need for more meetings than this unless there is a major development that needs
immediate attention, and a swift vote / decision to avert an emergency, or
large loss of Alliance
assets.